Chapter 897: Chapter One Hundred Ninety-One: Soft on the Outside, Tough on the Inside
The once light steps had suddenly become incredibly heavy, as if Tang Sen were being judged, and the outcome of this trial could be one he was unable to bear.
He found that he needed Xu Shuhui more than he had imagined, not only because this woman was the love of his life, but also because she embodied all of Tang Sen’s longings and hopes for home.
If this woman were gone, or decided to leave him, he dared not imagine what he would become.
With heavy steps, he entered the main hall. Seeing each other for the first time in years, Xu Shuhui’s eyes were filled with pain as she, tremulously holding a scroll, asked, “Is what it says true? Were the three great mountains at the Lingjiang riverbank collapse caused by your earth-controlling magic?”
Even if time rewound, and the past replayed, Tang Sen didn’t think he would change his decision. But faced with Xu Shuhui’s accusation, he found he could not think in such an entitled way.
Because this woman was more important than time, more important than the past, even more important than his own life.
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In her presence, Tang Sen had always wanted to show his best side. Yet now, his most sordid self was laid brutally bare before Xu Shuhui, causing pain more acute than anything else. He was afraid that after he answered, he would lose her forever.
“You’ve said that you would never hide anything from me, you promised!” Xu Shuhui’s right hand shook as she clutched the scroll, imploring the familiar man, “Tell Shuhui it’s all false, right? You would never do such a thing, right?”
Tang Sen remained silent, his head lowered. The woman finally burst into tears, threw the scroll aside, and began to pound his chest with her fists.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…”
Watching his wife’s pain, the only thing the man could do was apologize over and over, each time quieter than the last.
“Is this the perfect husband you chose for yourself? A butcher who, for the sake of his family’s interests, did not hesitate to cause a natural disaster that placed millions in flood peril?” The Heavenly Phoenix Sword Saint frowned disapprovingly at this display of sentimentality, angrily saying, “The Xu Clan of Yuanzhou are a paragon for countless families; it cannot allow its descendants to be tied to such a despicable family. If you still recognize me as your father, if you still consider yourself a daughter of the Xu Clan, then sever all ties with this man and the Tang Clan—and do not shame your mother who lies beneath the earth!”
Tang Sen felt the woman in his arms tremble, burdened by the heavy traditional expectations instilled over thousands of years and by the fragility of a gentle woman facing domineering kin.
Like always, the man opened his arms, wanting to embrace the woman, only to be pushed away. The once-strong limbs of both, powerful warriors, hung stiffly in midair, his mind a complete blank.
Xu Shuhui wiped away her tears, turned to face her father, and knelt to the ground, sobbing.
With palms pressed together before her on the ground, her forehead bowed to where her hands met, Xu Shuhui, with weeping voice, said, “Father, Shuhui knows her sins are grave and feels unworthy of the teachings of the Xu Clan, let alone the honor of its ancestors. I am too ashamed to face the ancestors of the Xu Clan in Ying City. Father, please exile me from the Xu Clan, retract my family name, and erase my name tablet from the ancestral shrine.”
No one could have imagined that Xu Shuhui’s character was so resolute—she had chosen to cut herself off from the Xu Clan over such a disgraceful matter. It’s important to note that the retraction of the family name for the descendants of the holy lands is considered a punishment more severe than the death penalty.
Though death is as extinguishing a flame, how long one can truly live is not only the time spent alive, but also, and more significantly, the lengthy time after death—whether one will still be remembered by posterity. That is the meaning of the family graveyard.
The so-called destination is knowing forever that there is a place you belong to. Once your clan name is erased, it means you’ve become a lone, restless ghost; in death, truly dead.
That’s why the weak vie for fleeting glory, and the strong scheme for eternal legacy. It’s the same principle.
Even Xu Feng, as fiery as he was, couldn’t help but feel a pang in his heart upon hearing his daughter’s plea. He only then remembered that when she left Yuanzhou, she was not yet twenty—a young queen—and now she was nearing forty, a grown woman. Yet in his memory, the girl kneeling before him remained the teenager who came to the Sword Pavilion daily with questions about the White Rainbow Sword Intent.
At that time, he had been immersed in the crucial stage of developing the Heavenly Phoenix Sword Technique, and he could count on one hand the times he saw his daughter in a year. They say that in cultivation, years pass unnoticed, and now, without a glance back, his young daughter had become a married woman, twenty years slipping by. How could he bear to punish her?
“Let’s not speak of expulsion or disownment. The shame of the Tang Clan has nothing to do with you. You’ve encountered unworthy people, and these past two years, your daughter Nuan Nuan has been Foundation Building, persistent and diligent. You wouldn’t want her to repeat your mistakes, would you?” said Xu Feng encouragingly to his daughter. “You’ve become what you are today mostly because your mother passed away early, and as a father, I was too engrossed in my sword research to discipline you properly. But it’s never too late for a stray to return. In just two short years, your White Rainbow Sword Intent has not only recovered but even surpassed the past. It’s not difficult to pick up the martial path again; do not give up.”
“Thank you, Father,” she replied.
Kneeling before Xu Feng, Xu Shuhui rose to her feet, her tear-streaked face now only showing resolution, as if she had made an important decision. She looked at her father Xu Feng, then at her elder brother Xu Changfeng, and said earnestly, “Shuhui is Tang Sen’s wife. Whether he is a heroic figure who stands tall in the world or a butcher with hands stained with blood, Shuhui is his wife. But the butcher’s wife no longer has the face to continue to claim the identity of a descendant of the Xu Clan, to be worshipped in the ancestral shrine of the Xu family. Please, Father, erase it.”
Tang Sen suddenly looked up, his dim eyes sparked to life, and his numb lips trembled with emotion.
Xu Feng and Xu Changfeng, however, had ashen faces, unable to believe Xu Shuhui would make such a choice.
She kowtowed once more, weeping, “Since I was young, I’ve been ignorant, and it’s only due to the repeated forgiveness and kindness of my father and brother that I could be here today. From now on, I won’t be able to serve by your side. I only wish for my father and brother to be healthy and for your martial fortunes to flourish. The unfilial Shuhui will recite scriptures a hundred times daily, praying for your blessings.”
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Xu Feng’s mind reeled, his anger uncontrollable as he exclaimed, “Is this truly your decision!?”
“Please, Father, grant this request.”
“Very well!” Xu Feng stood, his voice cold, “Since you are so stubborn and determined to have your way, then as your father, I will fulfill your wish!”
“Father, please wait!”
A hurried figure approached rapidly from afar and, before even entering the hall, called out to Xu Feng, “Son Xu Changge pays his respects to Father and Elder Brother!”
After speaking, he winked at Xu Shuhui and said, “Little sister, brother-in-law, your two sons are truly remarkable.”
“Father, Elder Brother,” Xu Changge, having greeted Xu Shuhui and Tang Sen, took out an urgent message from the Beast Taming Sect and handed it to Xu Feng, saying, “This is news from Martial Saint Mountain, please look it over, Father.”